


kiss me (we're on fire, babe)

by bothsexuals



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Misunderstandings, Platonic Kissing, and romantic kissing!!!! guess who does that one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:22:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bothsexuals/pseuds/bothsexuals
Summary: Troy misunderstands a new development in Annie and Abed's friendship, and Britta has to deal with his gay panicking.
Relationships: Annie Edison & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes & Annie Edison, Troy Barnes & Britta Perry, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir, anniebritta crumbs
Comments: 29
Kudos: 263





	kiss me (we're on fire, babe)

**Author's Note:**

> This is so dumb and I love it so much, and I hope you do too. It's fueled by my love for trobed, platonic abedannie, cougar town and platonic kissing. All wonderful things. Please enjoy.
> 
> Title from "Electric" by Alina Baraz.
> 
> (The working title was "misunderstandings 2 electric boogaloo" which I think is funny.)

“I’m gonna head to class,” Annie said, and gave Troy a kiss on the cheek. She then quickly hugged Abed, and when they pulled apart, went in for a quick kiss on the lips, the way they had agreed to try doing since they had rewatched the episode of _Cougar Town_ where Jules starts kissing her friends hello and goodbye on the lips. 

“Is this working?” Abed asked, pulling back.

“I kinda like it,” Annie shrugged, “it’s sweet, plus I get free chapstick.” 

“Wow, is that all I am to you?” Abed amusedly asked, then turned around to look at Troy, but found nothing where his best friend was supposed to be standing. “Wait, where’s Troy?” 

“I don’t know,” Annie frowned, “weird.”

Abed tilted his head thoughtfully. “Do you think he’d do that with me if I asked?” 

“Oh my god,” Annie laughed, “you’re ridiculous. Just ask him out.” 

“Definitely, I’ll just ask my best friend out and risk ruining one of the most important relationships in my life.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “That was sarcasm.” 

“It wouldn’t ruin anything, stop being dumb,” Annie said, rolling her eyes. “I really have to go, but sure, ask him to kiss you.”

“I’m not gonna do that,” Abed muttered as she walked away, more to himself than anyone else, “that would be really dangerous.” 

  


***

  


“Troy?” Troy turned around to see Britta staring at him confusedly as he paced around the library. “You alright, man?” 

“Britta, thank god,” he sighed, grabbing her by the shoulders, “I saw something.”

“Oh, god, was the Dean naked again?” she asked, a horrified look on her face. 

“What? No. That happens?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I saw Abed and Annie kiss.” 

Britta’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh.”

“That’s all? Dude, they kissed! Are they dating? Are my best friends dating and they didn’t tell me? Why wouldn’t they tell me?” 

“Troy,” Britta cut him off, “dude, are you even sure they’re dating?” 

“They _kissed_!” he cried, “It doesn’t make any sense, why would _they_ date?” 

“I mean, it does make sense, a little bit,” she reasoned, “they do spend a lot of time together. And they’re like, really physically affectionate. Like a weird amount for Abed.” 

“He’s touchy when he’s comfortable with people,” Troy mumbled distractedly, then exclaimed, “no, no, it doesn’t make sense. They spend a lot of time and are affectionate with me and they’re not dating me!” 

“Well, do you want them to?” Britta laughed. 

“What? No!” He scrunched his nose in disgust. “I don’t wanna date Annie, she’s like my sister!” 

“What about Abed?” 

“Huh?” 

Britta sighed, “You said you don’t wanna date Annie. But what about Abed, do you wanna date him?” 

“Of course not,” Troy sputtered, “I mean, is he cute? Sure. Would I date him if I were a girl? Probably. Do his lips look really soft? Yeah, duh. But do I want to date him? I’m not gay.” 

“You _just_ said his lips look soft,” Britta sighed. 

“That’s just a fact! Everyone notices that stuff!” he replied defensively.

“I don’t,” Britta laughed, “dude, I think you might be gay. For Abed, specifically.” 

“No. No, no, no, no, no. Absolutely not, I’m not gay.” He tilted his head. “Am I? No. He’s just my friend. I don’t want him to date anyone else but that’s just normal friendship stuff, right? I’m not gay.” 

Britta sighed once more, loudly and exasperatedly. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered. 

  


***

  


“So,” Troy greeted Britta the next day, pulling her aside before she could enter the study room, “I think I might be gay. “

“Congratulations, and I told you so,” Britta replied, “what about the rest?” 

“The rest doesn’t matter, because Abed is dating Annie,” Troy hissed, “so shut your big, loud mouth.” 

“Seriously, dude, you don’t know that! Maybe they were just reenacting something,” she offered. 

“It was out of nowhere,” Troy countered, “they weren’t playing a part. They just… kissed.” 

“I’m sorry, man,” Britta said, placing a supportive hand on Troy’s shoulder.

“Troy, sweetie, you gonna come in?” Annie asked, popping her head out of the study room. “Oh hi, Britta,” she added with a smile, noticing her. 

“Yeah, we’re coming. Just uh- talking about school stuff.” Annie nodded and went back in, closing the door behind her, and Troy pointed an accusatory finger to Britta. “Not a word, Perry,” he hissed. 

“Gee,” she said, raising her hands, “fine, Barnes, my lips are shut.” 

  


***

  


Troy groaned loudly, dropping to sit on the library couch next to Britta. 

“What is it?” she sighed. 

“They keep doing it,” he whined, “they just kissed again.”

“Dude, you should talk to them, it’s weird that they wouldn’t tell you.” 

He groaned again, hiding his face in his hands. “Why is this happening to me?” 

“But is it though?” Britta asked. 

“They _just_ kissed! Annie walked in and Abed was like ‘Oh, hi, kissing time!’” 

“Yeah, but what kind of kisses are they? People can kiss their friends,” Britta shrugged. 

“You think _Abed_ would just kiss anyone?” Troy asked, looking at her with an incredulous raise of his eyebrows. 

Britta shrugged again. “I can never predict what Abed would or wouldn’t do. If it’s a movie, why not?” 

Troy groaned a third time and dropped his head back in his hands. 

“There, there,” Britta mumbled, awkwardly patting his back. 

  


***

  


“Hey guys,” Annie greeted them, walking into the apartment. 

Troy and Abed mumbled some incoherent greetings from their chairs, focused on the movie they were watching, and Annie walked up to them and pressed a kiss on the top of Troy’s head. He turned towards Abed’s chair at the speed of light, hoping she wasn’t about to- oh, and of course. She bent down and gave him a quick (but interminable in Troy’s eyes) peck on the lips, and Troy’s insides felt like they were being run through a shredder and then set on fire. 

“I’m gonna take a shower,” a smiling Annie said then, completely unaware of the hellscape she had turned Troy’s mind into. 

He tried to keep quiet. Maybe they had told him, and he just hadn’t been listening. He always listened to Abed, but why else would they just start kissing in front of him? They must’ve thought he knew. Or maybe they just didn’t care. Maybe he wasn’t even that important to them. Maybe they were gonna ask him to move out so they could live together just the two of them and then neither of them would ever talk to Troy again and then Britta would be like ‘Hey guys, where’s Troy?’ and they would be like ‘Troy who?’

“Okay!” he exclaimed, standing up and startling even himself, “I can’t take this anymore.” He pressed pause on the movie, and Abed turned to him with furrowed brows. “Are you dating Annie?” he quickly asked. 

Abed looked even more confused now. “What? No. What?” 

“What the hell, then?” he asked, gesturing wildly, “What are all the kisses about?” 

“That’s a _Cougar Town_ thing,” Abed explained, wagging his finger around in that way Troy always found adorable, “Jules kisses her friends hello and goodbye, and we decided to try it.” He shrugged. “Annie really likes it, and I’m cool with it. It's kinda cute.” 

“What?” Troy’s narrowed his brows, trying to make sense of what his friend had just said. “So you just- you just kiss her because you’re friends?” 

“Yes,” Abed nodded, “kissing doesn’t have to be romantic, you know. Our lips are strictly closed at all times.” 

“Mhm,” Troy hummed, feeling a little warm as his mind inadvertently started wondering what kissing Abed would be like were his lips _not_ strictly closed. “But why don’t you do it with anyone else?” 

“Annie is too nervous to ask anyone else,” Abed replied, “especially Britta. I don’t like physical affection that much with anyone but you or her.” 

“So why didn’t you ask me to do it?” Troy asked before he could stop himself. 

“What?” Abed stood up. “I didn’t think you’d want to do that. With me.” 

Troy’s throat suddenly felt really dry.

“I- we could- we could try,” he stammered, “for… research.” 

“Yeah,” Abed nodded, stepping closer, “research. Sure.” 

“Should we- should we do it now?” 

Abed tilted his head just slightly, “If you want.” 

“I’m uh- I’m cool either way,” Troy replied, which was a lie. He would be extremely disappointed if Abed didn't kiss him right then, even if it was just a platonic kiss. 

“Cool,” Abed said, “I’m gonna kiss you now.” 

Troy swallowed thickly. _Holy shit._

“Cool,” he mumbled. 

Abed quickly leaned in, and pressed a swift kiss to his lips. It was the shortest kiss Troy had ever been given, and somehow it was also the best. 

He was right about Abed’s lips being really soft. 

“How’s that?” Abed asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Troy mumbled, unable to think about much other than the fact that Abed looked really pretty from up close. 

“We can try again,” Abed offered, and all Troy could do was nod. 

Abed leaned in a little slower this time, and Troy’s eyes fluttered close as he did. Abed’s lips touched his and then- and then they didn’t leave right away, the way they had before. Troy’s lips parted automatically after a few seconds, and he raised his hand to Abed’s cheek, tilting his head and kissing him again. Abed’s hands found Troy’s waist and settled there, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss even more, turning it into something that was _definitely_ not platonic. 

One of Troy’s hands tangled in Abed’s hair, and he stood on his tiptoes so he could gain more leverage to kiss Abed back just as fiercely, and his enthusiasm earned him a low, pleased hum from Abed, which reverberated through his entire body and drove him a little crazy. 

“Holy shit,” he breathed, pulling back, “holy shit.” 

Abed’s hands were still on his waist. 

Abed’s hands were still on his waist, his hair was mussed, his lips were still parted, and his chest was heaving with the effort to regain his breath. 

And Troy was going to lose his mind. 

“That was- that was not platonic,” he muttered. 

“Definitely not,” Abed replied with a bright laugh, “wanna do it again?” 

“Oh, fuck, _please_ ,” Troy unashamedly begged, and grabbed Abed’s face with both hands to pull him into another passionate kiss. 

  


***

  


“Hey Britta,” Troy chipperly greeted his friend in the hallway the next morning. 

“Oh, hey Troy,” she replied, “you look happy!” 

“I talked to Abed,” he explained with a smile. 

“Oh, that’s great! How’d it go?” she asked. 

“Pretty well,” he said. 

“Hey guys,” Annie greeted them, catching up to them just as they had planned. 

“Hi, Annie,” Troy said, and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips. He looked at Britta, whose eyes were wide with confusion, and winked at Annie, who stifled a laugh. 

“Oh, look,” Annie said, just as they had planned, “it’s Abed. Hi Abed.” 

“Hey, Annie.” He smiled and gave her one of their usual kisses, then turned towards Troy. “Hey, baby,” he said in a lower, really-sexy-if-you-asked-Troy voice, and quickly put an arm around Troy’s waist to pull him into a heated, undoubtedly romantic kiss. Troy wound his arms around Abed’s neck, allowing himself to get lost in the kiss until they broke apart, then he followed Abed’s gaze towards Britta, never letting go of him. 

“Oh, hi, Britta,” Abed said, as if just noticing her. 

She stared at them with raised eyebrows for a good ten seconds, then sighed, loud and exasperated. “Jesus christ,” she muttered, shaking her head.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it, as usual, perhaps kudos and comment? Please?


End file.
